Red Letter Cap
by Erin Giles
Summary: Jack can't look at a red cap without smiling, and it's all Ianto Jones' fault. Janto.


**TITLE**: Red Letter Cap  
**AUTHOR**: Erin Giles  
**DISCLAIMER**: Torchwood and it's characters are property of the BBC.  
**RATING**: PG-13  
**PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS**: Ianto/Jack, Martha, OCs  
**WORDS**: 1180  
**SUMMARY**: Jack can't look at a red cap without smiling, and it's all Ianto Jones' fault.

* * *

Jack smirked to himself as he sashayed round a group of new UNIT recruits filing down the corridor all looking rather nervous

Jack smirked to himself as he sashayed round a group of new UNIT recruits filing down the corridor all looking rather nervous. He tried to rearrange his face into some assemble of professionalism but the problem was the memories were imbedded now. And he wasn't shaking them anytime soon.

"_Thanks, Martha." Ianto smiled at her as he pocketed his treasure, just in time._

"_What are you two up to?" Jack asked, appearing behind Ianto in the hot house._

"_Just discussing costumes for Halloween." Martha grinned, giving Ianto a wink before they were both moving back out the hothouse, leaving a confused Jack behind._

Jack could still remember that evening as if it was yesterday. His head swivelled like an owl, following a soldier down the corridor that bore a striking resemblance to Ianto. He could remember the curve of Ianto's arse in those black combats and the way the redcap sat just right on his head. It had been torture watching Ianto dancing with Gwen, shedding his black combat jacket to reveal a tight black t-shirt underneath. Martha had been no help, smirking every time she caught him drooling over Ianto.

"_I know you had something to do with this." Jack yelled in Martha's ear, trying to be heard over the music in the club._

"_Me? What would I have to do with it?" Martha asked innocently, readjusting her cat ears._

"_Where else would he get a UNIT redcap from?" Jack demanded, looking at Martha with an annoyed glint in his eyes. Martha tried to hide another smile as Ianto came back over from the bar with drinks in hand, sliding back into the booth beside Jack and taking great pleasure in rubbing up against Jack. Martha giggled as Jack twitched noticeably in his seat._

Jack could remember how he'd almost burst before he got home, how he'd been ready to rip Ianto's costume from him in the back of the taxi. But he'd restrained himself; just. Ianto hadn't helped matters by saluting him on the doorstep as if he was saying goodnight. Jack had seen the glint in his eyes though. Jack bit his lip at the memory as he dodged round another set of new recruits, trying to keep up with the General who was still chattering away, apparently to himself, as he marched down the corridor.

"_Sir." Ianto saluted, grinning wickedly as he turned away to open his front door. He barely managed to put his key in the lock before Jack's lips were on his neck. Jack was shuffling them forward through the front door, turning Ianto as he went. They stumbled over each other's feet, kissing passionately as they tried to climb the stairs._

"_I'm impressed." Ianto whispered a little breathlessly as he pulled Jack up the stairs by the front of his trousers. _

"_With what?" Jack asked, not taking his eyes or hands off of Ianto as they backed into Ianto's bedroom._

"_That you lasted so long." Ianto smiled teasingly._

"_Oh trust me, if you hadn't have stopped dancing when you did you'd have found yourself naked on that dance floor." Jack sighed at the memory before pushing Ianto back onto the bed._

"_Now shut up and take your pants off." Jack demanded, removing his own with speedy efficiency._

"_Sir, yes Sir!" Ianto saluted again before wriggling out of his black combats. His hand went up the remove the cap as well but Jack's hand caught his wrist._

"_You can leave that on." Jack smiled._

"Do you agree Captain?" The General was looking at Jack with his own piercing gaze. Jack looked startled, like he was suddenly realising where he was again. He tried to give a reassuring smile as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. His brain tried to recall anything that had been said throughout the course of the morning. He wished he'd had a Ianto to bring with him to take notes or at least act like he was listening. He didn't though. Not anymore.

"_Jack?"_

"_Hello?" Jack looked up from the paper work he was perusing to regard his latest recruit to Torchwood._

"_I was just checking it was ok to throw out this box of junk? Also there was a UNIT cap in here, was it supposed to be returned?" She asked, moving over to his desk with the box as Jack brought himself to his feet._

_He glanced down into the box to find familiar things inside. There was the UNIT redcap, a broken stopwatch and a chipped coffee mug, amongst other things._

"_No." Jack answered, grinning as he lifted the redcap out of the box, turning it over in his hands before lifting it to his nose. It still smelt of him._

"_Everything ok Jack?" she asked, shuffling nervously from one foot to another like she was invading on a private moment._

"_Yeah." Jack let out a dazzling grin._

"_Someone you knew?" she pressed, watching Jack warily._

"_Your predecessor's predecessor." Jack answered, placing the cap back in the box and lifting it into his arms._

"_That all he was?"_

_Jack stopped mid-stride out of his office, not turning back to look at her. He worried his lip for a moment before answering._

"_No. He was a lot more than that."_

"Can I just have a minute?" Jack asked, backing out the conference room doors without waiting for a reply. He headed off down the nearest corridor, purpose in his stride even though he had no clue where he was going. He reached outside without running into anyone else. As he emerged into the sun though he spotted more soldiers training in the field across. Jack couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face again.

"_No Jack, I am not wearing it on my morning run, or at the office or anywhere else. You know as well as I do you would never get any work done and as a result neither would I. Then the world would end and you'd feel guilty." Ianto said, only half teasing._

"_No, I'd die happy." Jack grinned, trying to put the redcap on Ianto again. But before Jack had a chance Ianto was out his front door and running off up the garden path._

"_I'd be grateful if you stopped giving my neighbours the early morning show as well." Ianto called behind him as he jogged off down his street. Jack used the redcap to try and keep his modesty, watching as Ianto laughed, rolling his eyes before he disappeared round the corner._

No matter how hard Jack tried now he would never be able to look at a UNIT cap without grinning like a loon, which if he was honest would provide for some rather interesting meetings at UNIT. There were so many other things that conjured up sad memories that seemed to be everlasting in Jack but Jack was fed up of being reminded of all the sad times, of all the horrific things he had witnessed, and he was glad that UNIT redcaps made him smile and laugh; no matter how inappropriate it may prove.


End file.
